It sits on the tarmac near the hanger with the cockpit open awaiting the pilot.  The F-16 fighter jet is known the world over as a premier fighting machine.  It is as agile in flight as its sleek design would lead one to imagine.  The bubble shaped canopy that covers the cockpit is a very distinctive feature of this jet which makes it easy for the pilot to keep a 360 degree awareness of his surroundings at all times.  The performance factor of its engine and the pound per thrust ratio make it a superb aircraft.

The F-16 is only one of several fighting aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.  And then, there are those under development.  These aircraft are some of the best in the world.  They are highly sophisticated in their electronic warfare capability.  They can track multiple targets simultaneously and they can carry hefty payloads of very lethal and very accurate armament.

What the F-16 is to armies today, is very similar to what the horse was to armies way back then.  Back before the era of jet fighters, tanks, armored personal carriers and missiles, there was the horse.  The horse, in times past, has been a symbol of military strength.  In medieval times, a horse was outfitted with layers of thick covering draped over its sides and face, for the purpose of shielding the horse from arrows and swords of opposing armies. A soldier riding such a horse, had a tremendous advantage over an opposing soldier who was merely on foot.

For the purpose of this article, I am going to call the F-16 jet fighter an “Iron Horse.”  I could use a tank, which might seem more appropriate but, for this article, I am choosing the jet fighter. We, as a nation, have put our trust in the Iron Horse.  We, as a people, have put our trust in what we can build with our hands.  We, as a people, have put our trust in our ability to develop and fabricate highly technical and ultra-sophisticated electronic warfare devices. In the process of the time span covering the era of such high-tech warfare, we, as a nation, have marginalized our trust in God, and have instead begun to do what the Bible refers to as putting trust in the strength of a horse.  We read in Psalm 33:16-18 “No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy.” 

Here is the problem.  For every F-16 sitting on runway, you need a pilot to fly it. Not only do you need a pilot, but you also need maintenance personal, parts and fuel.  Then, once airborne, the pilot will need the support of air traffic control, ground tracking info and eventual landing and refueling location.  All of this requires a tremendous and expensive and elaborate support system.  Lots of money.  When looking at the money issue, we have even built one model of jet fighter (F-22 Raptor) that proved to be too costly to fly and maintain. Even now, the plane chosen (F-35 Joint Force Fighter) as the alternative, is proving to be very costly and by the time all the top military officials get their add-on features incorporated into the project, it will most likely end up being as expensive as the F-22. A serious threshold to be sure, but the money issue isn’t where I’m going with this.  There is something more serious.

What I see for our country that is the more serious issue, more than money, is the absence of a belief in God and the absence of vision for the future as a Christian society. This may sound old fashioned but, when one contemplates the transition that has begun, the future of our society looks anything but promising. We, as a nation, are going headlong into a post-Christian era.  Some, upon reading this may say “yes, this is a good thing.”  The arrogant, atheist intellectual may think he will one day live in a world free of all religion, but such an individual is naïve.  Mankind has been religious from the beginning, and will be in the end.  Imagining a world in which there is no religion, is the product of the mind of a person who has insulated himself from the rest of the world.     

The United States of America is drifting away from God.  The United States of America is transitioning from a Christian nation to a post-Christian nation.  If history proves correct, such a transition will not go smoothly.  We, as a people, have put our trust in the Iron Horse that we made with our hands.  We thought if we could build such technologically innovative and superior war machines that they, of and by themselves, would keep us safe and secure as a nation.  What we have failed to realize is that it is in God, and in Him alone where our security is to be found.  Once we abandon the foundation of faith and trust in God, then all is lost. Once we start putting our faith and trust in our own man made devices, all is lost.  It is the Lord who delivers a nation, not man.  It is the Lord who provides peace, safety, security and comfort, not man. If our future is left in the hands of mere men, then only misery awaits.

As important as it was to design and build the F-16, it was equally important to ensure that you had pilots to fly them.  As a nation, we needed to ensure that we were training up pilots we could trust and pilots who had the same vision and hope for the future.  We, as a nation, have failed in this area. It is the unity of vision and values in our society that is slipping away.  In other words, the dilemma rapidly overtaking us is “so what, if we are able to build the best jet fighters in the world.  If we don’t have loyal pilots to fly them, what good are they.” And, this is where I see our society heading at a rapid pace. It is coming down to the issue of trust.  Who do you trust to put on the Iron Horse?  If you cannot find soldiers you can trust and you cannot face an enemy with a unified force, you will lose the battle.  This is the dilemma we are facing as a nation.

We have chosen to put our faith and trust and in ourselves and the work of our hands rather than putting our faith and trust in God. So what, if we can build the sophisticated Iron Horse.  If our nation is rotten and corrupt on the inside, if our society has turned its back on God, if our people have gone headlong into a lifestyle of sin, then no degree of sophistication or lethality of our military Iron Horse can save us.  We are doomed. God will leave us to our own devices and we will fragment and begin fighting each other.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:19 “Where there is no vision (prophetic revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint).  We, as nation have lost our vision. 

So, there on the runway sits the new Iron Horse.  Who will fly it?  What will be the loyalty of the pilot who sits in the cockpit?

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Who is shaping the future of America?  What is the future of America?  Do people even care anymore?  Or, are Americans more interested in who will win the next American Idol competition more than what type of world we are heading towards?

It seems almost as if it has become “uncool” to even think and have an opinion anymore.  Our society has become so lethargic and indifferent to certain realities that one could say that America is suffering from “reality avoidance”.

I remember years ago sitting in Economics class while in undergraduate school.  I distinctly remember learning about what is called “diseconomies of scale”.  It is a very interesting and very real thing that can happen to a large corporation.  And, I believe it can also happen to the Body of Christ.  It could be coined a “spiritual diseconomies of scale”.

First, let’s look at what is known as diseconomies of scale in regards to an industry functioning within our capitalist economy.  Let’s imagine a large corporation that has 100,000 employees here in the U.S.  With an organization of this size it is extremely important to keep track of what everyone is doing in order to prevent duplication and even outright competition between the various and different departments of such organization.  When such a breakdown does occur, that is, duplication of effort and competition among departments, it is called diseconomies of scale.  And, if the diseconomies of scale becomes pervasive enough, it can ruin the organization. 

One of the by-products of diseconomies of scale, that is described in Wikipedia, is called “isolation of decision makers from the results of their decisions”.  I encourage the reader, at this point, to refer to the Wikipedia article as it is very good at explaining all of this. 

To expand upon the term, as found in Wikipedia, I will say that what we are seeing today is “isolation of those who are making bad decisions from the consequences of their bad decisions”.  In street, the people who are making a mess of things are not having to deal with the mess they are creating.  Or, even worse, some decision makers don’t have a clue as to the unintended effect of their decisions.  Let’s take a closer look.

As a nation, the United States is facing what I believe to be an impending and devastating diseconomies of scale.  In particular, this problem is occurring in the area of interpretation of law, and the writing of law.  And, the church in America is setting directly in the crosshairs of the negative and unintended (or, in some cases intended) consequences of bad law.  But, it’s not just the church.  In reality, our society as a whole will have to deal with these consequences.  Let’s look at some current and pending examples.

In Massachusetts we see the debate going on about the rights of transgendered persons to have unrestricted access to either Men’s or Women’s restrooms, depending on which gender they have “chosen” to be.  This is impossible to interpret now, and it will be impossible to interpret in the courts once the lawsuits start coming in.  On a practical note, one of the reasons that cities and towns are even open to such a law is because the idea of building, retrofitting and paying for a “third” class of restroom at all public locations is prohibitive.  So, we see cities and towns falling back on the legal system for a way out, but, it will be even worse in the end.  It would be an “unenforceable” law.  Here’s an example.  Let’s say it’s 10:00 p.m. at a highway rest area stop and a young mother of 25 years of age who weighs maybe 120 lbs and her young daughter who is 4 years old start walking toward the Women’s public restroom.   Then, upon making their way to the restroom, the mother notices a large masculine appearing person who is let’s say 6’3” tall and weighs around 230 lbs.  And, this person is, as they say in bodybuilding, “ripped”.  But, upon noticing the hesitation of the mother to go any further toward the Women’s restroom, the person says to the mother “Oh, it’s OK, I’m transgendered”.  At that point, what is the young mother to do?  Would she say “prove it”? 

One can clearly see by the above scenario that such a “law” will be unenforceable.  Let’s look at another example of an unenforceable and un-interpretable law.  The pending Hate Crime law before congress which is designed to give protection to and special rights to the homosexual community.  Let’s say a Pastor of a large urban Baptist church preaches a sermon that includes a discussion of homosexuality and same-sex marriage in his discourse.  And, in the course of his message, this particular Pastor states that, according to his interpretation of the Bible, he believes that homosexuality and same-sex marriage are sinful and that anyone practicing such behavior will go to Hell.  This is his religious belief.  But, then, a gay person who happens to be sitting in his audience takes a CD of the message to the downtown police station and asks that the Pastor be arrested for “Hate Speech”.  Could such a thing happen?

Here is the complexity and what I see as a “political diseconomies of scale”.   The Hate Crime law, at this point, is un-interpretable and unenforceable.  Because, in order to arrest the Pastor for violating the “rights” of the homosexual, the police will, in turn, have to deny the Pastor his freedoms of speech and religion.  So, which is our society going to choose?  We are getting ready to see a legal environment in which the rights and freedoms of some groups are going to be taken away so that a different group can be free from what they perceive as public expression that they believe violates their rights.

So, we now see that the lawmakers (congress) who are promoting and passing such laws are fitting into the category that we see in the definition of characteristics of “diseconomies of scale”.  In other words, some of the very congressmen and congresswomen that are passing such laws will be “isolated from the consequences of their bad decision making”.  Isolation of decision makers from the consequences of their bad decisions.

It doesn’t stop here.  There is still one developing factor that will dwarf all that we have looked at thus far.  The issue I am referring to is Sharia Law.  This is the body of law that is practiced by Islamic countries.  You may be saying, “Well, what does that have to do with us here in the U.S.?”  Before we get to that point, let’s look at the concept of law and government for a moment.

I remember sitting in an undergraduate class called Federal, State and Local Government.  The professor of this course was a seasoned veteran who had taught for decades.  He was a classic liberal and he and I had an amicable professor/student relationship.  I remember it well, one day in class when a fellow student (the kind of student who thought he was the teacher rather than a student) made the statement “imagine a Presidential election in which the vote count margin came down to just a one vote difference between the two candidates and the winner wins by just one vote!  Imagine what that would do for democracy!”  Then, I’ll never forget the professor’s response (and, this was some 26 or 27 years ago) as the professor said “that really might not be such a good thing”.  And then, the professor went on to explain why he saw it as problematic, as if almost to prophetically describe what we all witnessed in 2000. 

It was this same professor who taught that one of the hallmarks of a government, one of the most legitimizing factors of a government, is to set a body of law and then set a framework to interpret and enforce such law.  So, we now see today, a serious and slowly developing effort on the part of Muslims to set up the practice and enforcement of Sharia Law within our society.  So, what happens when a Muslim and a non-Muslim are involved in a legal dispute over something and both sides are using two different bodies of law to interpret what has transpired and how the matter should be judged?  Which side will carry the most weight? Which carries more legal weight, Constitutional Law or Sharia Law? 

Perhaps, seeing the problem as described above, we could set up yet another 3rd body of law and a 3rd party of law making and law enforcement to weigh out the matter and find the “common ground” between the two other bodies of law? Or, if that doesn’t work, maybe set up a 4th group to try and “work it out”.                       

But, it doesn’t stop here.  Did you see in the news where just recently, the Hizb ut-Tahrir held a “conference” in a Hilton Hotel just outside of Chicago.  The theme of the conference was “The Fall of Capitalism and The Rise of Islam”.  It is reported that several Arab States as well as Russia do not allow this group to operate within their borders.  But, the U.S., in the name of freedom of speech and religion, will allow it.  This represents more political diseconomies of scale.  In other words, this extreme, radical religious group that wants to overthrow the U.S. system of government has every right to express themselves.  It is their “right” to do so.  To put it in street “it is their right to promote and organize as a group and overthrow the very government that “gives them the right to do so”.  Then, the rights and freedoms of expression that used to exist under the old government will no longer exist.  This is exactly the scenario that is developing right before our very eyes.  It is already happening to a serious degree in England, France and Holland. 

So, the Christian church is caught in the crossfire of all this and the rights of the church are slowly slipping away in our society.  The respect that the church once enjoyed in the U.S. is no more.   We, as Christians, must give up our religious freedoms in the name of diversity.  We, as Christians, must give up our freedoms in order that those who want an entirely different body of law and government can have what they want.   Things are getting very interesting.  Perhaps, as a society, we are entering into a period of which the old Chinese proverb could apply.  “May you live in interesting times.”  I think with all the “pushing and shoving” between the different groups within our society, it is naïve to think that things are not going to get interesting.   

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We read in John 17:21 where Jesus prays to the Father “…that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I, in You…”. 

Then, in the preceding verse of 17:20 we see that Jesus was clearly talking about the believers of that present day and all future Christians.  This is very important.  Jesus specifically denotes that He was praying about, and praying for, those who had believed on Him and had accepted Him as Savior of their souls.  Jesus was not talking about those of other, non-Christian religions.  Jesus was not a schizophrenic.

Jesus made it very clear that He and He alone is the Son of God and that He and He alone is the only way to get to Heaven.  Jesus says exactly this in John 14:6.  So, having established Himself as the Savior of mankind, and as the only way to get to Heaven, then, it would be completely inconsistent with His message to all of a sudden suggest that others, who did not (or, in the future would not) believe that He was the Savior, were somehow now included in this prayer to the Father that all believers and non-believers would somehow dwell in unity.  Such an interpretation is just plain crazy. 

To say that Jesus was praying this prayer for the unity of anybody and everybody, regardless of what they believe, is simply an attempt to take away words that Jesus actually said, and in turn, attempt to “put into Jesus’ mouth” words that He never said.  Jesus was praying for the Father to bless those who had believed on Him.  If you don’t believe in Jesus, then these words of blessing are not for you.  You can torture the scripture, you can philosophize “until the cows come home” but it won’t change the fact and reality.  In order to receive eternal life and experience the good things of God to come, one must accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

If you are a believer in Jesus, then His emphasis on unity directly and without question apply to you.  It is God’s desire that all believers dwell in unity.  This starts with the local church body of believers.  Show me a church that has even the slightest degree of unity within its walls and I’ll show you a church with some power.  Show me a church where the congregation is of one purpose and of one mind and I’ll show you a church where you can see the miracle power of God!

Unfortunately, we see some ministers, particularly some of those of national prominence, who have imposed it upon themselves to launch out on a quest to bring unity in the world.  They are going about speaking to this group and that group talking about a philosophy of love and acceptance that does not have Jesus Christ at the center.  There is talk of “finding the common ground” and “meeting in the middle” and “focusing on the issues we agree about” and on and on.   All of this sounds good, if you are a politician seeking to win votes in the next election.  But, if you are a true Christian, such talk and philosophy is all very contrary to the actual words of Jesus. 

When it comes to Jesus, His deity, His blood sacrifice for sin, His exclusive status as Savior of mankind, there is no compromise and there certainly is no “middle ground”.  Look at it this way, Jesus said that He is the only way to Heaven, so, where is the point of “middle ground” or “common ground” on this issue.  What “part” of Jesus being the only way to Heaven is the Christian supposed to “give up” to get to the “middle”.  It cannot be done.  So, all this talk about the “family of man” and the “Dawning of the age of Aquarius” and the “Dawn of a new age” and all that, these are in essence Satanic counterfeits to the true unity of believers that Jesus prayed about. 

How can true Christians be yoked in any way whatsoever with another religion that denies that Jesus is the Christ?  For the Christian to compromise on this issue, is for that particular Christian to relinquish his or her very salvation. 

It is becoming increasingly clear that the world is growing ever so hostile, even violent toward Christianity.  We hear all this talk about equality, rights, dignity, self-worth, self-esteem, human dignity, human rights, freedom, freedom of religion, freedom to vote, freedom of self-determination etc.  All of this is promoted for anyone and everyone except the Christian.  Let a conservative Christian give his or her opinion in the national news media and watch how the very news company employees themselves go after that Christian and cut him to shreds.   

My friend, the media industry has set a tone that has gotten to the point to where it is OK to discriminate against a Christian simply because that person is a Christian.  It is open season on Christians and Christianity.  We are entering into a period in history the likes of which the world hasn’t seen since the Ancient Roman Empire.  It is a perplexing quandary how the leaders are talking about all these “rights” but at the same time, blatantly discriminate against Christians. 

Getting back to the concept of unity.  Today’s Christian needs to be extremely cautious when they see a Christian leader launch out on his own initiative to attempt to bring unity among the world’s religions.  It cannot be done.  Who is going to compromise their position?  The Muslims?  The Hindus?  The Mormons?  The Jehovah’s Witnesses?  The Baha’i? The Black Hebrew Christians?  The Messianic Jews?  The Oneness or Jesus Name Christians?  The Dominionists?  The Christian Evolutionists?  The Atheists?  The Church of Satan? Which one of these groups is going to compromise their position to “make the other group happy?” None.

The reality is that none of these groups are going to give one single inch.  For the true Christian to even think for one second that such an idea has any possible chance of working is naïve at best, and jeopardizes that particular Christian’s eternal destiny at worst. 

The deity, sovereignty, majesty, holiness, rank, and position in Heaven that Jesus holds is not up for negotiation.  For any man, even a national Christian leader, to think that he has the authority to negotiate the person and position of Jesus to the world, is most treacherous.  The world has to accept Jesus as He is, not as the world would like Him to be.  The world must come to God on God’s terms, not the other way around.

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Recently, on MSNBC/Reuters news service there was an article titled “Pastor Defends Exorcism of Gay Man” dated June 26, 2009.  In this story we read about an African-American ministry that conducted an exorcism on a young man and posted it on You Tube.  The young man happened to be gay.  Needless-to-say, such a thing has generated a firestorm of controversy.  I see one white woman giving her opinion as she states “this young man’s soul was murdered”.  Without question, this has brought the gay vs straight debate once again to the “edge of the knife”.  In particular, this news story has brought focus on the issue of how much say or authority the state should have in the affairs of the church.

Next, we are witnessing the ongoing saga of Perez Hilton who many remember from the most recent Miss USA contest.  We saw how Mr Hilton took it upon himself to deny Miss California success in her career because she expressed her Christian views.  Now, more recently, we have witnessed a new episode involving Mr Hilton and the pop band called “Black Eyed Peas”.  Seems that Mr Hilton is exhibiting particular aggressiveness toward young, professional “women”.

The issue of gay rights vs the conservative, evangelical church community is fast becoming the watershed or “societal tipping point” in the debate concerning all things church and state.  There is not a greater or more significant issue in this debate than that of gay rights.  The reason being is that there is no middle ground between these two groups on this issue.  There is no middle ground between the homosexual and the conservative, evangelical Christian.  Therein lies the gravely serious concern about this issue.  Gone are the days when our society could watch movies such as “Conair” and see a gay individual standing up in front of an airplane and dancing to the song “Sweet Home Alabama” in front of a plane load of convicts and, then after having watched the movie, just simply “forget about it all”.

Anytime you talk about “rights” you are talking in legal terminology.  And, anytime you are talking in legal terminology you are talking courts, judges and legal interpretation.  The problem for our society now is that when it comes to the issue of gay rights and the position of the conservative, evangelical Christian, there is absolutely no middle ground.  What I am saying is that you could never ask a serious Christian to accept the idea of “well we will agree that you have the freedom to preach and teach anything you choose and the freedom to classify anything you choose as a sin according to your interpretation of the Bible – except homosexuality.”  The serious Christian cannot accept such a position because according to conservative evangelical theology, to deliberately compromise on your personal, moral conviction would, in turn, place that particular Christian’s soul in jeopardy.

On the other hand, the militant homosexuals will never accept the idea of “well, what if we write a law that classifies any negative talk against homosexuality as a hate crime, however; evangelical churches and Christians will be exempt from this law because it would infringe upon their freedom of religious beliefs.”

What we are faced with, as a society, on this issue is quite simply that it is fast becoming “all or none” for both sides.  There is no middle ground.  In the mind of the Christian, there can be no acceptance of a law that would require that Christian to compromise his or her moral conviction.  But, on the other hand, in the mind of the homosexual, there can be no acceptance of a law that would class anti-gay talk and commentary as a hate crime for only some people, but at the same time, allow an entire class of people to be exempt from prosecution for the same.  If a hate-crime law of this type is passed (and we are close), and then a Christian Pastor is arrested for preaching against homosexuality, everyone might as well buy tickets to Washington D.C. because such a case is clearly headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Enforcement of such a “hate crime” law would be no simple matter.  If this scenario develops in our society, we will see a “Pandora’s Box” opened up and our society will be changed forever.  It will never be put back again. The reason this is so is because it’s not just a simple matter of interpreting homosexuals as a “class” of people.  It goes way beyond that.  Let’s make some logical observations.

Our country has a recent history of the civil rights movement.  There is the history of blacks being discriminated against by whites.  In the course of seeing the history of racist manifestations on the part of whites toward blacks, it was never said or thought that “being black” was morally wrong.  Instead, whites were simply saying, in no uncertain terms, “you are black, therefore, you are of a different class”.  And, the whites chose to discriminate against this class.  The difference between this and the issue of gay rights is galactic.  For you see, for two millennium it has been the position of the Christian church that homosexuality is a sin.  Never did the Christian community simply say that homosexuals were of a “lower class”.  This difference is enormous and this difference means everything in this debate.  For you see, to define homosexuals as a “class” and then, to say that society cannot speak ill of this “class” means that the Christian would be asked to give up or change his or her moral conviction on the issue.

Let’s look at it another way.  Being a black person is not a choice of behavior.  Only black people can be black.  However, being a homosexual is a choice of behavior as we clearly see that there are both black and white homosexuals.  This reality leads to the next point.

The court that would bring to trial such a case of discrimination and supposed hate crime involving a Christian would have the burden of proving or disproving that there is a legitimate and sustainable process of reasoning as to why evangelical Christians believe and teach that homosexuality is wrong.  In other words, out of all the things that a Christian would consider wrong or evil, the court would be challenged with the burden of determining whether the Christian did or did not “pick homosexuality out of a hat” and then, in turn, classify it as sinful.  I can see where a courtroom trial would very quickly become focused on the “basis” for the belief that homosexuality is “wrong or bad”.  It would be inevitable that the court would be faced with simply saying that the Christian can call anything he or she wants to call sin – except homosexuality.  The only alternative would be for the court to put the entire “belief system” of the Christian on trial. Either way, such a court would then, in essence, be dictating morality and deciding what the Christian has the right to believe is sin or not.   This is extremely treacherous ground for our legal system.

We hear a lot of talk about diversity in our society.  But, what I am seeing is that the “developing definition” of “diversity” is that diversity means “anything but Christian”.  Or, another way to put it would be that diversity means acquiescence for all serious Christians. We give up our religious rights and freedoms to a pseudo-class of citizens who are willfully choosing to participate in behavior that the Christian considers sinful behavior.

America is slipping off her moral foundations.  Speaking of diversity, it seems ironic that the Christian position on homosexuality is discussed in the media but, never the position of other religions such as Islam.  What do Muslims believe about homosexuality?  Or, does the burden of “diversity” only apply to the Christians?

I can envision an “irony of ironies” where, let’s say, an African-American Pastor living in Selma, Alabama would be invited to preach at an African-American church in Montgomery, Alabama.  And, during the course of delivering his message on that particular Sunday morning, this African-American Preacher would speak of homosexuality and describe it as being a sin that damns the soul.  Shortly thereafter, upon driving back to Selma, he is pulled over by the highway patrol and arrested for having “violated the civil rights” of the homosexual community.  If we are not careful, this is exactly where all of this is headed.  It would turn our country into a “legal no man’s land”.  Our body of law would become un-interpretable and thus, there would be no law.

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“Silver bells, silver bells, soon it will be Christmas Day”. The memories of Christmas, they are many. It was always such a special time, a wonderful time. And, the food, so much food. Maybe more than the gifts, I think back upon the atmosphere. The atmosphere was unmatched by anything or any other occasion.

Christmastime is very traditional for the Christian. It is one of the two greatest observances of the Christian faith. Just like other faiths have their sacred holidays, Christians have Christmas. Just like other faiths celebrate privately and openly their holidays, so too Christians celebrate privately and openly their sacred days.

But, we see that the old traditions and observances of Christmas have been slowly slipping away – probably never to return. The world has changed over the last several years in a way that has been so dramatic and so comprehensive that the scope of the change is difficult for the average person to fathom. It seems that the world still wants Christians to celebrate Christmas but, just leave out the “Christ part”. Don’t think or contemplate what Christmas is really about, just spend your money, buy our products but don’t mention Jesus or say anything religious. In other words “just celebrate Christmas without Christ”. A Christless Christmas.

It’s funny, I grew up my entire childhood hearing people exchange Christmas greetings in the stores and restaurants and anywhere else people would meet. Then, it seems that in a moment’s time, we were all told that this is somehow wrong, somehow offensive. We are asked to consider that Christians celebrating Christmas is offensive. Not since the beginning of the nation has a generation had to deal with such a thought. Come to think of it, maybe not since Christmastime observances began centuries ago, has a generation been asked to deny the very Christ they are supposed to be celebrating.

It is a double-standard on the part of those who ask Christians not to express their belief in Jesus during Christmastime, but, yet those of other religions are able to freely express their beliefs without criticism. It is a double-standard to ask department store employees not to say “Merry Christmas” as this may offend someone, but, you can say the names of the holidays of other religions.

It is a double-standard to ask Christians to come and spend their money in the department stores and buy gifts to give as a way of celebrating Christmas but, at the same time, request that these same Christians not even mention the Savior that Christmastime is set aside to celebrate. It is a double-standard and could even be viewed as a “societal schizophrenia”. That is, to be asked to celebrate something but, at the same time, deny the very thing you are supposed to be celebrating. All of this has worn very thin on our society and it has reached the breaking point.

I remember the smell of oranges, tangerines, pumpkin pie, turkey, cookies, cakes, coffee, candy, and pine trees. But, now, we even have some within the Christian ranks who are telling us that all of this is “offensive” therefore, we shouldn’t do any of it. And, unfortunately, even many Christians are abandoning the traditional concept of Christmas. We are being told that having a Christmas Tree is offensive, sending Christmas Cards is offensive, saying Merry Christmas is offensive, displaying a cross (even in church) is offensive, any expression of Christmas is offensive – even expressing a belief in Jesus. Ultimately, we are being told by the world that Jesus himself has become offensive. And, thus, scripture is being fulfilled.

So, what are we going to do with Christmas? Perhaps, we could call it “Commerce Day” or “Xmas Day” or “Gift Day”. The reality is this; something has been lost concerning Christmas. Everyone knows it. It just isn’t the same anymore. Not just because some of us are growing older but, rather, the very substance of Christmas itself has changed. A way of life is slowly slipping away.

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In the dictionary we read that a baseline is “a line serving as a base”. Then, further investigation shows that there can be many definitions of the word “base”. The one I want to use for this article is “the main part, as of a plan or system, on which the rest depends”.

In Christian theology, we have certain doctrines and spiritual principles that serve as “theological baselines” for the Christian Believer. Let’s look at an analogy. We know that in a game of football or baseball, as long as the player stays within the baseline of the playing field, then that particular player remains an eligible or certified player of the game. However, if a player steps outside of the playing field, or over the baseline/sideline, then that particular player is disqualified from play. So too, the Christian Believer must be careful not to step outside of the baseline of orthodox Christian theology or else he or she will become disqualified.

I have just returned from a two-week missions trip to Kinshasa DRC. During this time, I had the privilege of ministering with powerful ministers of the gospel and spoke at very large churches. I also had time to reflect upon recent trends and developments in the Body of Christ in America. I have come to some conclusions.

First of all, let me say, that I have visited Africa many times, and I have spoken at many and various African churches from Mombasa to Kinshasa and I have yet to see the type of “manifestations” that some in our American churches are claiming to be the “new move of God”. You know, one of the reasons I love going to Africa to preach the gospel is because Africans still respect the Word of God, Africans still approach God as a Holy God and one who a person does not approach casually and to whom the greatest of reverence must be given. Africans still treat church services as “special” and as a time when you are to put forth your best, act in a decent and orderly manner, wear your best clothing and show the greatest respect for organized worship of a Holy God.

However, we see in America some who are operating outside the theological baseline. We see certain types manifestations and exhibitions of physical motor-tics that, if you were to see occur and manifest in an African church, that person usually undergoes a prayer for deliverance and demon spirits come out. But, in some American churches these very same manifestations are being theologized as being from, and being a manifestation of, the Holy Spirit. From what I have personally witnessed, I choose the African theological interpretation or baseline for such things.

Next, we have some Pastors in America, who when nobody is looking, they go around their churches pouring oil all over and throwing around these plastic, fake gemstones and then when the church-goers show up, that Pastor will claim these are manifestations from God. Let me ask a very practical, and a very reasonable question at this point. I have watched several videos of these so-called “signs and wonders” of these gemstones. And, some of them look to be quite large in size. If they are really real, then why have we not heard (not one single time) of a person who gets one of these gemstones, going down to the local jewelry dealer and selling the stone for lots of money and paying off his or her mortgage? Why? Because they are not real. Look, if I ever walk into my church and the floor is covered with diamonds, rubies, opals, sapphires and emeralds, and they are real, then, the jeweler is the first place I’m going. I mean, how many missions trips could be funded from one of these large stones.

Next, there are the videos of the so-called Apostolic conferences during which we see and hear what looks and sounds more like a course in astrophysics rather than preaching and teaching of the gospel. We see those who are now bringing in recordings of cosmic waves taken from the universe by powerful radio-telescopes. It is common scientific knowledge that the universe is full of these cosmic electro-magnetic radio waves. Unfortunately, however, some “Apostles” are now saying that we must worship God with these radio waves! It’s true. I am not making this stuff up. See for yourself.

So, I ask you, what is the difference between those who practice what I have described above and those who practice “harmonic convergence” down at Shiprock, New Mexico? What is the difference between those who practice what I have described above and those who practice astrology? Furthermore, what is the scriptural reference for “worshipping God with the cosmic waves of Saturn and Jupiter”? Again, I ask, where is the theological baseline?

Next, we have this fellow, or, “Apostle” who is traveling around with a glass case full of so-called angel feathers that he has collected over time. They are supposedly of different sizes and colors. He claims that he has seen all of these different angels and that the feathers are “tokens” that have been left behind. There are serious theological problems here. First, we know that in the natural realm when a bird sheds a feather that this represents death. The shed feather no longer has life in it and is discarded by the body of that bird. So, when considering the concept of an angel shedding a feather, why would this happen? And, if you are going to say that God is allowing an angel feather to fall off and die, then you are saying theologically that God is allowing something from Heaven above to experience decay and corruption on the Earth below. Secondly, to carry around such a case of these feathers is certainly drawing more attention and giving more importance to these feathers and the angels they came from rather than the God in Heaven that these angels are supposed to be worshipping. Just a thought.

Lastly, let me share something I have put together in my research of late. Remember, several months ago when I wrote articles in defense of the Word of Faith camp and how it is wrong to want to see these ministries investigated by the government. And, in particular, remember when I made the statement that I could not understand why certain leaders within the Body of Christ were sitting idly by while this investigation was being initiated. Well, I have seen and heard comments in various videos that have provided an answer. Also, I have been able to put some “puzzle pieces” together from way back. You see, there is a serious rift between the Apostolic camp and the Word of Faith camp. The fact is, many in the current Apostolic camp evolved out of the Word of Faith camp. And, unfortunately, some in the Apostolic camp now look down upon the Word of Faith camp as being out-dated and unenlightened. So much so, that in one video you can see and hear two of our great “Apostles” discussing the fact that one of them had recently been prayed for by a member of the Word of Faith camp and this person was questioning whether or not he had been “contaminated” by being prayed for by someone who is Word of Faith. I kid you not, he used the word “contaminated”. Oh, and by the way, this was a local TV program in the Southwest, not some home video.

So, this answers my question as to why such silence in the Christian media and why the “Apostles” are not coming to the aid and defense of the Word of Faith camp. Let me just say this. I know of many who are in the Word of Faith camp. I have been to many of their conferences. I have heard many of their top leaders speak in person. I know their doctrine well. I also, have studied and listened to those of the new Apostolic movement. I have heard many of their leaders speak in person and I know their doctrine and theology well.

I will say this. If the theological short-comings of the Word of Faith camp are “contamination”, then, what are we to say of the theological short-comings of the new Apostolic movement? If we were to expand upon the chemistry analogy that can be taken from the word “contamination”, then, we can deduce the following analogy. If the new Apostolic movement is going to accuse the Word of Faith camp of contaminating the gospel then, it is like finding small traces of lead in the glass of the Word of Faith camp, but, on the other hand, we see almost pure potassium cyanide in the glass of the so-called new Apostolic movement.

Some will say at this point that I am being divisive. No not really. I am simply articulating actual and real observations. I am articulating what is the extreme frustration of many in the Body of Christ who are unable to put their frustration into words. For those, I am proud to be their spokesperson. I am proud to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. I do NOT see the Bible as being out-dated or in the words of one of the “great Apostles” as being “moldy pages”. No sir. I see the Bible as being the life-giving Word of almighty God. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we are not careful, we will see a theological push further and further off the baseline of orthodox Christian theology. It seems that there is a never-ending quest on the part of some who are driven by unholy forces to experience that “next new thing”. An unholy desire to be the “first to see and do something new”. This is dangerous for the Body of Christ. It is flesh-driven and an incubator for demons. This sort of approach leads to worshipping the manifestation rather than worshipping God. It leads to pursuit of the manifestation rather than pursuit of God. It leads to competition within groups to come up with more and more sensational things and manifestations to the point, that some are beginning to compromise the gospel message for the sake of a manifestation, any manifestation whether it is of God or not, as long as it is sensational and draws attention to the person. The Body of Christ needs to pray against such a self-centered, fleshly pursuit.

Publish Date: October 04, 2008

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There are many challenges ahead for the Christian living in today’s world. The issue of homosexuality is probably one of the bigger challenges that we see on the horizon. The issue of homosexuality is one that can no longer be ignored or brushed aside by Christians. Homosexuality and the interpretation of this lifestyle has become a flashpoint in American politics. And, now, it has spilled over into the church big time.

We see the lawsuit recently brought about by an individual in Michigan against Zondervan Publishing Company over the way I Corinthians 6:9 has been interpreted in the Bibles they print. The lawsuit is for $60, 000, 000. The suit contends that the Pastor of a local church preached a sermon some 20 years ago using this verse and during the course of his sermon, the Pastor made references to homosexuality that have, in turn, caused this individual emotional pain and suffering over the last 20 years. The suit contends that Zondervan Publishing Company printed Bibles that misinterpreted that scripture.

What I am writing about is not conjecture or hypothesis, it is fact, and this lawsuit is now in the system of the U.S. District Court of Michigan. This reality is upon us and the church had best wake up and understand the ramifications of such a thing. First of all, courts at the U.S. District level are extremely powerful and issues that are not resolved in these courts often make it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

At this point, I have to say “Somebody pinch me and tell me that I am not living in the 1950’s, in a Communist country. Somebody tell me that this whole idea of such a lawsuit is preposterous and will go nowhere.” Unfortunately, now that you’ve had time to think about it, you know that you really cannot guarantee that this lawsuit won’t get traction in the courts. I cannot imagine that it will, but, in today’s political climate, I can’t say for sure.

The thesis of this lawsuit is so pervasive and all-encompassing it is breathtaking. In one stroke of the brush, the Constitutional Doctrine of Religious Freedom in the United States, as we have known it, is in jeopardy of being eliminated. There are several things to consider at this point.

First, the most cherished freedom of being able to interpret the Bible as you choose, is at stake. The basis of this lawsuit centers on what is perceived as a misinterpretation by the publisher. And, it centers on a “so-called” misuse of that misinterpretation that occurred some 20 years ago. Does this now mean, that if I as a Pastor, preach a sermon in which I state my personal conviction and interpretation about a certain passage of scripture that I can be sued by someone sitting in the congregation who can claim that I have misinterpreted that particular passage of scripture. Furthermore, who will decide if I have or have not interpreted correctly? Maybe the “religion police”?

Is it possible that the U.S. Court system would force Zondervan to stop printing Bibles that interpret the particular verse in question in the way they have been, and force Zondervan to print Bibles with the translation the courts deem appropriate (politically correct)? Far-fetched you say. But, this is exactly what this lawsuit is focused on. Then, the next lawsuit may say “Hey, you know what, let’s just don’t print any more Bibles at all”. Far-fetched you say. Then, simply study the recent history of Communism.

To expand on this principle, one can see a hypothesis in which the family members of the victims of 9/11 could say “The misinterpretation of certain verses by the publishers of the Koran, resulted in the events of 9/11.” Therefore, a suit could be initiated against those publishers for the loss of life and trauma that occurred on that day. Or, a married couple whose marriage is composed of a Christian and a Jew could sue a Pastor on the basis that he preached a sermon about being unequally yoked and therefore, his sermon has caused “anxiety and stress of life”. Or, a Jehovah’s Witness could sue the Watchtower Society over the loss of Christmastime because he or she didn’t get to experience Christmastime the way other children did.

You may be saying at this point, that what I am describing would be utter chaos in the court system and even dangerously threaten the stability of our society in general. That is exactly what I am saying. It would literally turn into “king of the hill” and whatever religious group could gain control of the court system, wins. This is exactly what we see in other countries around the world and there is no end to the turmoil and fighting.

So, the court system of the United States is now faced with exactly this type of scenario. As an American Christian you can not pretend this doesn’t affect you. I know that, up to this point, we have had the luxury of not dealing with issues like homosexuality if we choose not to. But, that day is over with. Whether you believe homosexuality is a sin or not, what this lawsuit is targeting is freedom of religion, not just a mere grievance.

Publish Date: September 10, 2008

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A civil war is brewing in the church in the United States and it is evolving out of two different camps within the Body of Christ. On the one side we have the Messianic Jewish camp and on the other side we have the Emergent Church camp. The enormity and scope

of this cannot be fully addressed in a brief post such as this one, but, my intention is to simply look at this problem in general terms.

First, let’s look at the Messianic Christian or Messianic Jewish camp. In this camp, we have churches and fellowships that are placing an emphasis on “finding your Jewish Roots”. It is really unclear exactly what is meant by this phrase. It seems to be a catchall for a lot of loose theology. These churches believe that Christians should incorporate Old Testament rituals and customs into their lifestyles and worship services. It is a growing trend and has serious theological pitfalls when it comes to the person of Jesus Christ and His absolute role in the history of mankind. In particular, is the doctrine of “dual covenant” that has evolved in the theology of some of these groups.

Then, there are those who are now calling themselves “Christian Zionists”. This is a sub-group that has become very emphatic on the idea that Christian Churches should align themselves with the State of Israel. Some of these churches have the flag of Israel draped over their pulpits, and their services are heavily influenced by Jewish ritual and custom. And, they are militantly pro-Israel. In a sense, it almost seems as if these groups worship the State of Israel rather than the Messiah of Israel.

What is of concern is that the leaders of these churches imply that if you don’t adopt “Christian Zionism” as a belief system, then somehow, you are outside of God’s favor. These churches incorporate a lot of politics into their preaching. And, Arab States are portrayed as evil and enemies of God. This is unfortunate because Arabs make up one-sixth of the world’s population. That’s right. There are approximately one billion Arabs in the world. So, how are the Arabs of the world going to show or prove their Jewish Roots so they too can receive favor from God? Are we to exclude one billion Arabs simply because they are Arabs? The truth of the matter is that God loves the Arab as much as He loves anyone else. That’s right. Jesus gave His life and shed His blood to save the Arab as much as anyone else. Jesus loves the Arabs as much as He does anyone else. Jesus loves the Arabs as much as He loves the Jews. Jesus gave His life to save all people regardless of race or nationality.

On the other side we see the camp of the Emergent Church or the Emerging Church. These churches and leaders are emphasizing an ecumenical approach to the Gospel. They are teaching and preaching that Jesus is one of “many ways” or “paths” to God. Thus, they are implying that Jesus isn’t the only way to get to Heaven. They are also teaching a form of prayer or meditation called “contemplative prayer” or “soaking prayer”. This type of prayer has its origin in Eastern Mysticism. It is the ancient art of “emptying out” one’s mind and allowing yourself to be “open” to special truth or deeper truth that can only be achieved or apprehended by this technique. It is extremely dangerous because if you empty your mind out, and then expose yourself to the spiritual realm in the process, you become vulnerable to demonic forces.

The Emergent Church leaders are abandoning the ancient paths of the tried and true gospel. The Emergent Church leaders are giving up on defending the gospel. The Emergent Church leaders are forsaking the truth for a lie. They are giving up wholesale the positions that the church has held for the two millennia that it has existed. They are denying that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The Emergent Church leaders are seeking to portray Jesus as a mere philosopher rather than the Savior of the world. The leaders of this camp are emphasizing that we can take the “good” out of all of the world’s religions and then somehow incorporate these “good parts” into one singular belief system. It will be kind of a “religion designed by committee”. And, most alarmingly, is the additional emphasis of lacing this new belief system with their own political concepts and ideas. Thus, at the end of it, you will have a quasi political/religious system that will be the “solve all” for all the world’s problems. Sounds far-fetched you might be saying at this point. Then, read up on it for yourself. Listen to these leaders for yourself.

And, the Emergent Church is aligning itself with other governments of the world that are very unfriendly toward the State of Israel. The leaders of the Emergent Church are meeting with State leaders of various sorts and taking positions on political issues with these leaders.

All of this is a potent mix for the Body of Christ in America. On the one hand, you have the Christian Zionists promoting one political party and its candidate for President, and on the other hand, you have the Emergent Church leaders promoting the other political party and its candidate for President. And, both groups are saying it’s God’s will for their candidate to win.

This is not good news for the church. This is not good news for the country. Because when the election takes place and the choice is made, then, how does the losing side explain how God “let them down”. I mean after all, you have taught that God was on your side and you were supporting God’s man. Right? But, you have the other side saying the same thing. Now what? And, that is my concern. You see, American Christians, by and large, have been insulated from the political and religious turmoil that we read about going on in other parts of the world.. I mean that’s “those people over there”. Right? They just need to “learn how to get along”. They need a lesson in good old American philosophy and then everything will be just fine. Right?

The American Christian, by and large, doesn’t understand the ferocity of the forces these two camps are “playing around with”. It is not a game. American Christians continue to think that they have the luxury of coming up with all sorts of new ideas and new theologies and trying them out on an experiential basis. And, that somehow people around the world are waiting to be enlightened by the new found truth discovered by the American Christian. However, I can tell you that other people in other parts of the world take their religions and their beliefs and their moral codes very, very seriously. Unfortunately, there are some leaders in the American Church who think they can address and solve issues that have been ingrained in other societies and other cultures for centuries, with a mere sound bite. This approach is dangerous. These same leaders think they can write a brief little booklet and “wow” everyone with their philosophy and solve all of the issues that divide the people of the world.

The problem with all of this is that it pulls the church away from its true mission and that is to preach Jesus as the Savior of the world. To preach that Jesus died for all and that He alone is Lord and there is no other.

The compass of the church in America is spinning. The church in America has fragmented beyond belief. If we don’t get some focus and direction and get back to some good old fashioned preaching and teaching of the gospel, then, I’m afraid we are headed for some very stormy waters. 

Publish Date: June 12, 2008

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Rolls Royce

Recently, I was at London’s Heathrow Airport waiting with a group from my church to catch a flight to Entebbe. We had a several hour layover. After my fourth or fifth trip walking around the terminal, I stopped by to view a Ferrari that was on the floor for display. There were a couple of young men selling raffle tickets for this car. So, being bored and tired of walking, I began asking a few basic questions to satisfy my curiosity. I asked how many horsepower the motor had and what would be the price of the car in American dollars. The price of the car was $230, 000, and I learned that the engine in this particular model had 430 horsepower. I stood there, only able to imagine what it would be like to drive such a car, even one time. Oh, by the way, I did NOT buy a raffle ticket.

So, what would Jesus drive? Or, in this case, ride? This question was recently asked by the interviewers on a recent CNN news show who were interviewing Pastor Creflo Dollar. Pastor Dollar was being interviewed as part of the ongoing coverage and unfolding story about the investigation by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley’s office of Pastor Dollar and several other prominent TV Evangelists.

So, if Jesus were to appear today, in person, what type of car would he choose to ride in? Or, as the Senator suggests, maybe Jesus would still prefer to use a donkey as His mode of transportation. This question is not as easy as one may think. And, this question has far greater theological implications than meets the eye.

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We know the story of Pandora’s Box and the evil that Pandora unleashes upon the world and her unsuccessful attempt to stop what she had started. One cannot help but make the same comparison with the drama we see unfolding in the U.S. Senate. U.S Senator Charles Grassley has taken it upon himself to “investigate” several prominent Pentecostal ministries. Note that I said “Pentecostal”, the significance of which will become more distinct as we go.

As a pastor of Pentecostal persuasion, I am very interested, even concerned, about what is going on with this investigation. I was recently in Africa and that is where I first heard the news of the investigation. My point is, there are far more than just a few “disgruntled Americans” who are watching this investigation. A point that the Senator would do well to recognize.

By the way, I see that the Senator has been quoted as saying that he too, is a Christian. I am curious as to what denomination or church the Senator belongs? This question may sound like a non-issue to the casual observer, but in this investigation, it means everything. For you see, the ministries that have been targeted by this investigation are Pentecostal or, as some say Charismatic. By definition, Pentecostals and Charismatics believe in things like The Baptism in The Holy Spirit, Speaking In Tongues, the Gifts of The Spirit, Healing, Prophecy etc. Needless-to-say, these doctrinal issues are of major debate among denominations and groups within Christianity. Thus the question, what is the Senator’s theological frame of reference?

One can only imagine the outcry if ministries of non-Christian religions had been targeted by this investigation. On that note, why are not some of them included? I mean, what ever happened to the “stratified random sample”? Or, is this investigation to be interpreted as a “Pentecostal Only shake-down”? It is one thing to have a theological disagreement with another Christian, another denomination, another church, or another religion, but, it is an entirely different matter to open up a governmental inquiry into the activities of those you disagree with.

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